The Shadowed Lands
by LightDarkandChaos
Summary: First, the official SASFC came to visit, so Shadow and I fled to Transylvania. There, Dracula was freed from the netherworld he'd been trapped in. Now Shadow's missing, Dracula's trying to conquer the world, and I have to stop him. Great. Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

The Shadowed Lands (I may change title)

_**There was nothing around him. There was nothing he could touch, not even the smooth texture of air. Nothing he could see, not even the inside of his eyelids. There was nothing he could hear, not even the faint ringing tone of silence. There were no scents, no tastes, just nothing. Nothing surrounded him, but he was nothing, too. There was no way of knowing how long he'd been in this terrible place. No way of knowing if he would ever be freed. So he waited, but didn't wait, for nothing exists in the Void, not even time. The Void was the truest prison of all, even though there was nothing preventing him from escaping. Nothing. That was the Void. No one who hadn't been there could understand the true horror of nothing. No one escaped unless they were freed. That had only happened once, and the child who'd been freed had been driven insane the moment she ceased being nothing, and was able to leave her sanity elsewhere. If that would happen to him, he wasn't sure he wanted to leave this place. But it wasn't a place. It wasn't anything. It was the Void, and the Void is nothing. If he had been able to think, he would've gone insane long ago. It seemed like he'd been there for eternity, but it could have only been moments. Time had no hold in the Void. He could be here forever, trapped within nothing. Someone could free him, but that wouldn't happen. No matter how long it had been, no one could have forgotten him. No one could have forgotten the way he'd terrorized the world, no matter how long he'd been here. Right?**_

"Why are we here, Faker?" Shadow growled angrily.

"Because Amy and Rouge are hosting the International Shadow and Sonic the Hedgehogs Fan Club for the week, and I am not staying in the same house as over a thousand crazy fans." Sonic shuddered at the thought.

"Let me clarify. Why am **I **here?"

"Because I needed someone to carry my stuff. That and, it's your fan club too. I saw autograph hounds sniffing out your room yesterday. If you weren't here with me, you'd be ambushed by fans every 3 seconds." Sonic shuddered again, this time because of the glare Shadow had sent his way.

"That would explain the lipstick on my door. I thought Amy was trying to decide who she really loved again."

"For the record, she was stalking me first."

"You can have her. I have enough problems with Rouge and her consistent apologies for betraying me by flirting with Knuckles. I wasn't aware we had a relationship."

"That's exactly how it started with Amy. Except with less apologies and more tackles. And one case at court when I got a restraining order against her." Sonic grimaced, remembering the scene Amy had made at the courtroom.

"If you have a restraining order, why does she still get to chase you around?"

"The legal document mysteriously vanished. And I haven't managed to get photographic proof that she's after me since."

Shadow smirked at the expression of suffering on the other hedgehog's face. Sonic noticed the smirk and decided to ignore it. In a verbal fight, Shadow had the distinct advantage of being able to think as fast as he could skate.

"Seriously, Faker, why are we **here**?" Shadow was not going to let the subject go without a fight.

"Well, I was snooping around in Amy's room a while ago, looking for some picture or something I could use in a case against her, and I found her diary. I knew it would be a very bad thing to read it in search of something I could use against her, so naturally, I read it. Cover to cover. It was pretty boring, I mean, she dedicated a whole page to describing my eyes. I think one word, green, sums them up pretty well."

"Get on with it. You did not drag me all the way here to talk about Amy's use of the pages in her diary."

"Well, like I said, I was doing research in her diary, and I found out one thing. One vitally important thing." Sonic started to grin.

"What?" Shadow was getting interested despite himself, but he wasn't about to show it.

"I found out Amy's worst fear. She's terrified of vampires!" Sonic was really smiling now.

"And that's the reason you dragged us to the Transylvanian mountains?" Shadow was not impressed.

"Yeah! She'll never follow us here! She's scared Dracula will get her!" Sonic said proudly.

"Well, it is remote. They'll have a hard time following us. Of course, we could've accomplished the same thing at the Bermuda triangle."

"No, no, no! Nowhere near water! Especially not water where people have been known to disappear!" Sonic shivered with the thought of all that water.

"I've never understood your hydrophobia."

"My hydro-what?"

"Your fear of water."

"Why didn't you just say so?"

"I did."

"No, you said I had hydro-something."

"That's the scientific term for a fear of water."

"You spend too much time with Tails. He's rubbing off on you."

"No, I just didn't stop school at the age of 12."

"Hey! Blame Eggman for that! He blew up my school!"

"You could've gone to a new one."

"He tried to take over the world! Repeatedly!"

"15 year old delinquent."

"I am not going to listen to you if you're just going to insult me." Sonic flopped down on the edge of a cliff. Shadow resisted the growing urge to give him a little push.

"So we're going to spend a week just wandering the mountains?" Shadow asked grumpily. He was not in a good mood. He'd turned one ankle in a hole that had suddenly appeared in front of him and then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and it was really starting to hurt.

"Of course not. I made preparations in advance. We're staying at one of the places Dracula was rumoured to have lived in! Further protection from Amy!"

"Once again, I am astonished by your ability to make bad choices and think that they're good ones. Let's just go."

_**He heard something. The sound of rock falling, and a muttered curse. He saw something. A shoe, like nothing he'd ever seen before. Light behind it, light from the sun. Something in nothing. For a moment, fresh air wafted through the hole in the Void, carrying with it the scent of the outdoors. He felt something wet drop on to his hand, seeping into his torn glove. Blood. In the moment of thought before the hole vanished, he knew what was happening. Once every thousand years, the Void would tear. He would have a chance to live again, if he was released when the Void tore. And he had the method to do so. He smiled before the Void could close again, and cast the spell that would force the one whose blood had fallen to release him from the endless nothing. He knew where it would go. Transylvania. His home.**_

"Ow!"

"What is it this time, Faker?" Shadow asked, his voice filled with exasperation.

"Stepped in a gopher hole. Darn it, something cut me! Something that wasn't one of your comments." Sonic sat down, holding the offending foot. "Do we have any bandages?"

"You packed the emergency bag."

"Oh, right. Let me see… Mirror, syringe filled with tranquilizer, smoke bombs, garlic, obsidian knife, more garlic, oranges and lemons in case of scurvy, tissues, four bottles of blue hair dye in case, uh, Eggman attacks with one of those machines that targets blue things and we have to dye the land around us so we can escape, Amy's diary, Cream's teddy bear, some kind of gizmo Tails built, a video camera, a stapler, four pens, thirteen different coloured pencils, Rouge's shirt, she asked me to get it dry cleaned but I never got around to it, so don't stare at me like that, seven magazines, including the draft issue of Playgirl Amy sold those pictures of you and me to, a flashlight, three bottles of hair gel, in case we have to slick our spikes down, a computer mouse without a computer, a hairbrush, my toothbrush, my DS, a bag of jewels Rouge forgot to take out, Rouge's diary-"

"Why do you have Rouge's diary? And is there anything in there about why she acts so irrational around me?" Shadow interrupted.

"I found it with Amy's, no, but there is a detailed description of a daydream where she has all the gems in the world, and you and Knuckles are her servants and willing to do whatever she wants you wants you to. Sunglasses, ninety-three subscription cards Knuckles filled out, the wall clock that went missing from our kitchen a while ago, a cow bell with 'Sonic's Bell' written on it in hot pink and the i's dotted with little hearts, a sweater, twenty-two marbles, in case you lose yours, a sled, three hundred and fifty-seven paper clips, thirty coupons for various fast food places, a picture frame, and a thirty year old map to the Forks in Winnipeg. Oh, and bandages."

"How did you fit all of that in a two foot long bag?" Shadow asked in disbelief.

"I learned the fine art of packing and unpacking from a true master."

"And you're not going to elaborate."

"You have learned well, young grasshopper."

"I'm a hedgehog."

"You're screwing up my martial arty sayings, Shadow."

"Bite me."

"I don't think you'd taste good."

"Better than you, chilli dog breath."

"Says the guy who likes ravioli."

"Nothing wrong with noodles, except the ones in your brain."

"Are you suggesting I'm not smart?"

"I don't need to, you just did."

"Okay, I concede defeat in this battle, but I'll be back!"

"Whatever. Are we going straight to the house, or stopping to see Sofia first?"

"You have a girlfriend?" Sonic stopped dead in the middle of standing up, his mouth hanging open.

"Sofia, not Sophia."

"Oh. Right to the house, I already paid. The owner was really eager to rent it out. I wonder why?"

"Let's just go."

They set off again at a slower pace. About halfway to the house, they started arguing over the definition of the word 'squash'. Sonic insisted that it was a verb, while Shadow was adamant that it was a vegetable. An awful vegetable, but a vegetable all the same. Both of them agreed that squash should never have been invented, as the vegetable was awful and the verb was hard to remember. They slowed down when they reached the house. Well, it was more of a castle than a house.

"This is where we're staying for the week?" Shadow eyed the crumbling stones that made up the walls doubtfully.

"Yup!"

"Have I told you lately that you're crazy?"

"Yup, five, minutes ago."

"Well, I'll say it anyways. You're crazy."

"Oh, look. The owner went on vacation to Miami and left the key under the mat." Sonic poked the note that had been taped to the door. He shifted the mat aside and found the key, inserting it into the keyhole almost instantly. The lock clicked and the door swung open on its own.

"Come on, Shadow."

"This is a bad idea. A very bad idea. If something bad happens before we leave this place, I'm blaming you."

"Okay. Now c'mon in."

Shadow sighed and crossed the threshold. A chill ran down his spine, and he had the feeling something was watching him. Something other than a blue hedgehog tapping his foot impatiently. The sensation of being watched vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving Shadow even more nervous than before.


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Void had torn slightly again. Now that he'd cast the spell, the Void tore only where the one he'd bound to him was. Sure enough, the bound one had gone to Transylvania. They'd renamed his city to Sofia, but that didn't matter. It could be easily changed back when he'd been freed and restarted his reign of terror. Judging by how the landscape had changed, it had been a long time since he'd been sealed in the Void. He watched as the bound one and its traveling companion reached the place that he'd been sealed in, so long ago. By the position of the sun, tomorrow there would be a total eclipse. He smiled in the dim light that came through the hole. The next day was a day of power, a time when the raw magic of the world gathered in certain places, certain natural magical reservoirs. He'd built his castle on one of them. There would be more than enough power to free him tomorrow. Then, the years he'd spent in the Void would doubtlessly catch up with him. Luckily, the bound one was not a creature of magical creation, and could be fed upon. The spell he'd cast wouldn't last after he was free, and it was a very vague spell anyways. The bound one had power that couldn't be stolen, and a strong will. But it wasn't defended against magic, or those like himself. Yes, it was strong. It would be even stronger as his slave. His smile turned malicious, revealing ivory fangs.  
**_

"Whoa! I call this room!" Sonic raced into a large, brightly lit room and flung himself on to the first of two king sized beds.

Shadow decided to leave him alone until the massive amount of sugar he'd consumed instead of dinner wore off. He skated through the halls of the castle, looking in every room. In a few hours, he returned to the room Sonic was in.

"We have a problem."

"What?" The sugar had mostly worn off, and Sonic was going into a sugar crash.

"None of the other bedrooms are fit to stand in for a few seconds, much less sleep in." Exploring had used up most of Shadow's energy, and he was as tired as Sonic.

"So you have to stay here, too?"

"Pretty much."

There was a long moment of silence. Crickets chirped outside. Loudly. And they played 'Oh When the Saints' in miniature.

"I won't try anything if you won't."

"Deal." Shadow flopped down on the other bed, falling asleep as soon as he hit the covers.

"You forgot to turn out the light, Shadow." Sonic sighed as his reminder reached deaf ears, got out of bed, and turned out the light himself.

The next day, Sonic woke to find Shadow still sleeping. That was not normal, as he usually woke everyone else up at 5:00 A.M. Sonic glanced at the clock, which he'd leaned against the nightstand, and gasped. It was 9:30. He walked over to the other bed and shook the still black and red form lying on it. Shadow responded by burrowing even deeper into the covers and mumbling something that sounded like, "Go'way an' leemelone."

"Come on, it's after 9:00. Time to get up."

After prying Shadow out of bed with a crowbar he'd mistakenly packed in the snack bag, he guided the more than half asleep hedgehog to the kitchen. Once they were there, Sonic poured both of them bowls of cereal and cold milk. Shadow couldn't resist the temptation to just fall asleep again, and his face fell directly into the bowl. That alone didn't succeed in waking him up, but Sonic's laughter did. After he'd successfully clawed the cereal grains out of his nose and chased the other hedgehog around the kitchen a few times, Shadow finally settled down for breakfast.

"Why were you so tired? You're usually up at dawn, and you drag the rest of us up with you," Sonic said around his mouthful of cereal.

"I don't know. I just couldn't seem to wake up." Shadow looked at his spoonful of cereal doubtfully.

"Shadow, stop playing with the cereal and eat it," Sonic commanded.

"Who are you, my mother?"

"No, for that to be possible I'd have to be a test tube."

"Whatever."

"You're not trying to be witty today. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I think."

_**The Void tore open before his eyes, showing him the bound one and its companion at the breakfast table. Soon, he'd be able to make up for the meals he'd missed while he'd been trapped. The eclipse would happen at exactly 12:00. It was time to move his pawn into position. Soon, he would be free to wreak havoc in the unsuspecting world. Before the Void closed again, he activated the first stage of the spell. The hole closed, and nothing remained.**_

_Short chapter this time, but only 'cause I wanted to wait for the big reveal-thingy. _**Revealing. **_Whatever. Anyways, first in-story comment! Yay!_


	3. Chapter 3

"Let's go exploring." Sonic said suddenly.

"Exploring? Why?" Shadow asked suspiciously.

"So we know every room in the house."

"Once again, why?"

"So if the girls find us, we can hide. Or maybe find a secret exit! Let's go!" Sonic zipped off to get some supplies.

Shadow sighed, following the blue hedgehog. The urge to explore was just as strong in him, and he probably would've set out on his own in case he'd missed something last night if Sonic hadn't suggested it first. He met Sonic halfway back to the finished bedroom, and they set off together. Two hours later, they'd finished exploring every room they could find. It had been quite interesting, but there were no signs of any secret exits so far.

"I think that's everything." Sonic deftly folded up the map of the house he'd picked up when he'd rented it.

Shadow didn't respond. He'd noticed something odd about one of the walls. It had a faint rectangular outline on one side. He felt drawn to it for some reason. Shadow walked over to the outline and pushed gently at the center of the rectangle. It swung silently open, revealing a narrow staircase spiralling down.

"It's not over yet, Faker."

They walked down the stairs together, starting at every little sound. The stairs opened directly into a huge entrance hall. A crimson carpet covered the floor. Several smaller hall ways opened off the main hall, while an enormous door waited at the very end.

"Cool! There really is a secret chamber down here!" Sonic dashed in and out of various smaller rooms, dragging an increasingly reluctant Shadow with him. Twenty five minutes later, they'd seen everything in the small rooms. Some seemed quite ordinary, while others were strange, and one was filled with various torture devices and bloodstains. The only door unopened was the one at the very end of the hall.

"C'mon, let's see what's in that one!" Sonic started running forwards.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Shadow said uneasily.

"Oh my god, are you scared of something?" Sonic asked innocently. Too innocently.

"No, but I've got a really bad feeling."

"Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of." Sonic grabbed Shadow's hand and ran towards the door.

"If something bad happens, I'm blaming you."

They opened the door together. The chamber that it revealed had clearly been an important one. A throne of ebony lined with a red stone darker than ruby stood facing the entrance in the center of the room. A long crimson carpet led directly to the raised pedestal where it stood. Tapestries of dark scenes in dark shades lined the smooth black stone walls. There was an altar draped in black cloth just a little in front of the throne. One tinted window set high on the back wall let sunlight fall on the throne.

"Wow," Sonic whispered in awe.

Then, a shadow fell over the window. The sky outside turned as dark as night. Something appeared in the air, hovering at head height just in front of the altar. Shadow stiffened for an instant, then skated towards the altar almost faster than the eye could see.

"Shadow, what are you doing?" Sonic cried out, running after the other hedgehog with one hand outstretched.

As Shadow reached the altar, the air became thick and seemed to glow with many colors. The something became larger, like a tear in the fabric of the world. The black and red hedgehog started to chant in a language neither hedgehog had ever heard before. His eyes wide with fear, Shadow could only watch as his body acted on someone else's orders. A fierce, glowing wind sprang up around him, driving the blue hedgehog away. Sonic fought his way to the base of the pedestal, inch by inch, until he was close enough to see his darker doppelganger's terrified eyes. The winds grew harsh enough to fling Sonic away as the chant rose to a crescendo, then there was silence.

The glowing air swirled and began to drain into the hole. Shadow staggered away from the altar, trembling slightly. The hole grew larger until it was large enough to walk through. Someone did. A Mobian hedgehog with solid white fur, eyes of pure black, and long, sleek, slightly curved spikes that pointed upwards at the very edges stepped on to the altar. His black gloves left the fingers bare, as each was tipped with a long, sharp claw. His boots matched his gloves, but the toes looked like they were made of metal. A black cloak fluttered in the aura of power that surrounded him. For a moment that seemed to last hours, he glanced around him. Then he smiled malevolently, revealing pearl white fangs.

_**Dracula stepped out of the terrible nothingness and into the world, inwardly rejoicing. At last, he was free. He glanced around himself, trying to recognize his surroundings. He relaxed slightly and smiled as he saw his throne room. Nothing had changed in the years that he'd been away. He looked to his left and saw the one he'd bound. Horror flickered across the black and red hedgehog's face, followed by disbelief, which was quickly replaced with a dark determination. He could almost feel the tension radiating from it. As the initial glee of being free of the Void wore off, thirst descended upon him. The one he'd bound showed no signs of running anytime soon. Good.  
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_Uh oh. Dracula's loose. Who saw this coming? Anyways, this is an important message from the author: Please R&R! Thanks!_


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